Hard West

Hard West, a turn-based tactics title from 2015, presents an interesting benchmark scenario when paired with an AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080. The data shows a system where the modern GPU is heavily utilized, but the aging CPU still holds its ground. This combination ranks 567th out of 1699 tested combos for this game, placing it in the upper third of results. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings reveal a clear pattern of performance scaling that highlights the strengths and limitations of each component.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 133.5. This is a very playable frame rate, suggesting the system is well-suited for the game's mechanics at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 2600 has an average benchmark score of 19616. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-1345U, scores 19691, which is a 0.4% difference. This indicates the CPU's performance is essentially on par with these modern competitors in general tasks.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 comes with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. This is ample capacity and bandwidth for a game like Hard West.

Q: What is the maximum measured FPS at 4K in this data?

A: At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS recorded is 109.8, which is achieved with Low settings. The lowest at 4K is 51.6 FPS with Ultra settings.

Q: Is the CPU's performance percentile high?

A: The Ryzen 5 2600 has a percentile rank of 77, meaning it performs better than 77% of all CPUs in the database. This shows it remains a capable processor despite its older 2018 release date.

Q: How does the GPU's average score compare to the Intel Arc A580?

A: The RTX 5080's average benchmark score is 59188. The Intel Arc A580, a nearest rival, has an average score of 57756, which is a 2.5% difference, making the RTX 5080 the faster card.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen architecture, released in April 2018. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. In the context of Hard West, a turn-based tactics game, the CPU's role is primarily in handling game logic, unit pathfinding, and AI calculations. While the game is not typically as demanding on the CPU as fast-paced shooters, this processor's specifications are more than adequate.

Benchmark results for the CPU show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11186 and a single-core score of 1579. These scores, combined with its 77th percentile ranking, suggest that the processor has sufficient single-thread performance for game logic and enough multi-threading capability to handle background tasks without bottlenecking the GPU. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-11600KF, have an average score of 19740, a -0.6% deltaPct relative to the Ryzen 5 2600, indicating that the 2600 holds its own in general processing power despite being from an older generation.

The data shows that at lower resolutions like 1080p, the CPU becomes a more significant factor. The FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings is 37.1 FPS (from 161 to 123.9). This gap is due to increased CPU overhead at higher settings, but the minimum FPS at Ultra is still a very playable 123.9. The CPU's 12 threads and 16 MB of shared L3 cache ensure that even complex turn-based scenarios with many units on screen do not cause severe frame drops. The processor's performance is a stable foundation, but the benchmark results indicate it is the less dominant component in this pairing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is a powerhouse, representing the GeForce 50-series with the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. It features 10752 shading units and a boost clock of 2617 MHz. This configuration provides immense raw compute power, reflected in its FP32 performance of 56.28 TFLOPS. For Hard West, the GPU is responsible for rendering the game's visual style, including environments, character models, and any graphical effects.

The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR7 memory with a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s is a critical asset. At high resolutions like 4K, the demand for memory bandwidth and capacity increases. The data shows that at 3840x2160, the GPU is the primary performance limiter. The FPS drops significantly as settings increase, from 109.8 at Low to 51.6 at Ultra. This 58.2 FPS drop is a direct result of the increased graphical workload on the GPU.

The RTX 5080 has an average benchmark score of 59188, placing it in the 89th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A570M, scores 58239, which is a 1.6% deltaPct, confirming the RTX 5080's superior position. This high level of performance means that at 1080p and 1440p, the GPU is often not the bottleneck. Instead, it easily handles the rendering load, allowing the CPU to become the limiting factor. The GPU's capabilities are best showcased at 4K, where it still delivers playable frame rates, but the scaling shows the heavy lifting it performs at that resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system is extremely capable, with all settings producing high frame rates. The Low preset yields an average of 161 FPS, Medium 148.2 FPS, High 133.5 FPS, and Ultra 123.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 37.1 FPS, a 23% reduction, which is relatively modest and indicates that the system has plenty of headroom at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, we see a slight compression of the frame rates. The Low preset averages 135.2 FPS, Medium 125.4 FPS, High 114.4 FPS, and Ultra 104.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 30.6 FPS. This reduction in the performance delta suggests that the GPU is starting to take on more work, but the system remains very performant, with even the Ultra preset exceeding 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance scaling becomes more pronounced. The Low preset averages 109.8 FPS, Medium 92.2 FPS, High 70.4 FPS, and Ultra 51.6 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra expands significantly to 58.2 FPS. This wide margin at 4K clearly demonstrates that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck at this resolution. The Ultra preset, while still playable at 51.6 FPS, shows a substantial performance cost compared to lower settings. This breakdown shows a system that is excellent for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, and still capable of 4K, though with more significant trade-offs at higher quality presets.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a clear pattern in how performance scales with resolution. Comparing the High settings preset, the average FPS drops from 133.5 at 1080p to 114.4 at 1440p, and then to 70.4 at 4K. This represents a 14.3% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a 47.3% decrease from 1080p to 4K. This scaling is typical for a system where the GPU's rendering load is increasing.

For the Ultra preset, the scaling is even steeper. The FPS goes from 123.9 at 1080p to 104.6 at 1440p, and finally to 51.6 at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly severe, with a loss of 53 FPS, or over half the frame rate. This indicates that the RTX 5080 is being pushed to its limits at 4K Ultra, and the resolution scaling is not linear.

The data suggests that the limiting component changes with resolution. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU's performance is more of a factor, as the GPU can render frames quickly enough to be constrained by the processor's ability to prepare them. The relatively smaller FPS deltas between settings at these resolutions support this. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor, as the pixel count and shader complexity overwhelm the GPU's capabilities, causing larger frame rate drops with each settings increase. This analysis points to a system that is balanced at 1440p, where the CPU and GPU work well together, but becomes GPU-bound at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the obvious choice. With an average FPS of 123.9, it provides the highest visual quality without sacrificing smooth gameplay. There is no reason to lower settings at this resolution, as even the most demanding preset easily clears the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also remains the best option. The average FPS of 104.6 is well above the standard for smooth play, and the visual fidelity increase from High to Ultra is worthwhile. The system has enough performance headroom to handle the demands of Ultra settings at this resolution without any noticeable performance issues.

For 3840x2160, the choice is more nuanced. The Ultra preset, at 51.6 FPS, is just below the 60 FPS target and may feel less smooth. The High preset, at 70.4 FPS, offers a substantial performance improvement over Ultra while likely providing a near-identical visual experience in a turn-based game. The data suggests that High is the best balance for 4K, as it delivers smooth gameplay with minimal visual compromise. The Medium preset at 92.2 FPS is also a viable option for those who prioritize higher frame rates, but the step up to High provides a better visual uplift for a relatively small performance cost. Therefore, the recommendation is to use High settings at 4K to achieve the best overall experience.